Michael Haneke

Despite his bleak and often masochistic view of humanity, Austrian-born filmmaker Michael Haneke has nonetheless established himself as one of Europe's most important, albeit controversial directors....
Read More...

After becoming the youngest ever Academy Awards Best Actress nominee in history, nine-year-old Wallis grabbed the Critics Choice Best Young Actor/Actress trophy.
The gadget-savvy Beasts of the Southern Wild star read out her acceptance speech from her iPhone.
Lawrence was named Best Actress in an Action Movie for her turn as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games and joined her Silver Linings Playbook castmates in collecting the Best Acting Ensemble trophy. She also picked up the Best Actress in a Comedy award for the film and co-star Bradley Cooper took home the Best Actor in a Comedy trophy.
Meanwhile, Daniel Craig scored a Best Actor in an Action Movie honour for his portrayal of James Bond in Skyfall, which stunned the experts by beating both The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers for the Best Action Movie title.
Oscar nominees Philip Seymour Hoffman and Anne Hathaway claimed the Critics Choice Best Supporting Actor and Actress gongs for their roles in The Master and Les Miserables, and Michael Haneke's celebrated Amour, which landed a Best Picture Oscar nomination earlier in the day, took home the Best Foreign Language Film.
Meanwhile, the acclaimed adaptations of novels Anna Karenina and Life of Pi doubled up in the early technical awards - Keira Knightley's film picked up Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design trophies, while director Ang Lee's Life of Pi landed the Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects awards.
There were also wins for Zero Dark Thirty (Best Editing) and Cloud Atlas (Best Make-Up), while Wreck-It Ralph was named Best Animated Movie and Quentin Tarantino, who is in London launching Django Unchained, picked up the Best Original Screenplay award for the western. Tony Kushner claimed the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Lincoln.
Les Miserables leads the Critics Choice nominations with 11 and filmmaker Judd Apatow was previously announced as the awards show's Genius Award recipient.

Doesn't it seem like, more and more, the Oscars are only handed out to a select few that Hollywood has deemed worthy? It's like anything that Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, or Amy Adams does gets a nomination more as a reflex than as an actual consideration. If Meryl had actually faked an orgasm in Hope Springs you could expect to see her name up there on the official nominees list. This year the nominations seem to spell a trend away from nominating people for the first time. It's hard to find a virgin to sacrifice this year.
RELATED: 2013 Oscar Nominations: See the Full List of Nominees Here!
There are only six people nominated for Best Director or in all four of the acting categories who haven't been nominated before. Of those six people two – Hugh Jackman and Bradley Cooper – are already giant Hollywood stars, one – QIWillNeverLearnHowToSpellThis Wallace – is only 9 years old and hasn't had time to act in anything else, and one – director Michael Haneke – we shouldn't even count because his 2009 movie The White Ribbon won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Who does that leave us with? Emmanuelle Riva, who is a French actress and, well, Americans really hate subtitles, don't they? Yes, they do. The only one who really leaves us with is Benh Zeitlin, the director of Beasts of the Southern Wild. That is an acceptable first-time nominee.
Aside from Ben(Don't Forget The)h, it's almost as if these newbies don't even count. Meanwhile, for the first time ever, the Best Supporting Actor category is full of men who have each won at least one Oscar. Yes, these people are going to be getting the gold for the second time and meanwhile John Hawkes, who gave the performance of the year in The Sessions, didn't get any love at all. Or what about Jack Black totally changing gears in Bernie? But no, let's dip back into the well-worn Oscar well. In fact, of the 25 nominees, there are 19 Oscars already awarded, and that goes up to 21 if you count Spielberg's two trophies he didn't win for Best Director.
This is a recent trend because back in 2010, 14 of the 25 nominations were first timers and four of the five winners (Kathryn Bigelow, Sandra Bullock, Christoph Waltz, and Mo'Nique) had never seen the Nominees Luncheon before. In 2011 that was down to 11 nominees and 2 wins (Tom Hoopper and Christian Bale) and that number shrunk again last year with 10 nominees and 3 wins (Michel Hazanavicius, Jean Dujardin, and Octavia Spencer) with two of those winners making their American film debut. This year we can have a max of three new winners, but it will probably be more like zero (and not of the dark thirty variety). None of these people, right now, are frontrunners.
RELATED: The Year's Biggest Oscar Snubs
So, why are we just recycling old material when it comes to the Oscars? It might be because the voters are older and nominate and then vote for people they already know. It's easier to write down Naomi Watts than try to figure out how to spell the young Ms. Wallace's first name. And when it comes to campaigning, so much of it has to do with past snubs and oversights that the Oscar often goes to someone as sort of a lifetime tribute rather than for that one specific role. (Heck, Melissa McCarthy even won an Emmy because she lost an Oscar.)
RELATED: 2013 Oscars Nominate Only 9 for Best Picture: Who Should be No. 10?
It's also harder to get a movie made these days, especially if there isn't a known quality. Getting someone to plop down a bunch of coin for anything by Spielberg or for a giant movie musical based on one of the most popular stage shows of all time (Les Mis, of course) than some experimental allegory about giant beasts and post-Katrina New Orleans. But when they do put that money down, it can really pay off.
The Oscars shouldn't just be about glad-handing the usual suspects (except, when Kevin Spacey won) but also about discovering and rewarding new talent so that the luster of the ceremony can rub off on the most deserving so that they can go on to bigger and better projects. A nomination is not only a chance to win, but a launching pad, something that has given us some of our best and brightest stars. We wouldn't have Amy Adams 100th consecutive nomination if she didn't get plucked from obscurity and nominated for Junebug. Sure, sometimes it doesn't work out (I haven't seen Mo'Nique's apostrophe in quite some time) but we're always grateful when it does. While Daniel Day-Lewis may be deserving of his third (third!) statuette, maybe it would behoove the Academy to start making the next generation of celebrities before this one goes entirely extinct.
Follow Brian Moylan on Twitter @BrianJMoylan
[Photo Credit: The Weinstein Company, Sony Pictures Classics, Fox Searchlight, Universal Pictures]
From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz)
Oscars 2013 Special Coverage
15 Most Iconic Red Carpet Dresses
• We Predict the Winners: Do You Agree?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• 10 TV Stars You Never Knew Won Oscars• The Winner, According to You

This Thursday, Jan. 10, we'll find out which of 2012's filmmakers will be honored with prestigious Oscar nominations. The year offered plenty of choices, from directors with an eye for the small-scale and intimate, to blockbuster artists who painted with grandiose cinema, and all the folks in between, who found a cunning balance between the two to tell their specific stories.
But as always, before we get to the Academy Awards picks, the Directors Guild of America offers up their top five of the year. No surprise, the 2013 slate is packed with Oscar frontrunners.
This year's picks include Ben Affleck for Argo, Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty, Tom Hooper for Les Misérables, Ang Lee for Life of Pi, and Steven Spielberg for Lincoln. Other buzzy directors who could still step up and nab an Oscar nomination but are notably missing from the DGA's picks include David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom), and Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master). A few other Oscar possibilities are ineligible — since the DGA only nominates American directors who are part of their guild, Amour director Michael Haneke was not considered.
The DGA Awards follow last Friday's Writer's Guild Awards which nominated an eclectic batch including Looper, Flight, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. But crossover remains, with Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty, and Lincoln all receiving screenplay nods. Where all the nominations meet could be a clear sign of a Best Picture winner.
The DGA awards will be handed out on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013. Fun fact: the DGA Awards began in 1948 and only six times has the winner not gone on to win the Academy Award for Best Director. Keep your eyes peeled, Oscar pool sharks.
Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches
[Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]
More:
Ben Affleck on How He Knew 'Argo' Could Be Funny and Dramatic — EXCLUSIVE
'Les Mis' Director on Hugh Jackman: 'When He Sang, I Didn't Yearn for Him to Stop' — EXCLUSIVE
Life of Pi': How Ang Lee Helped Irrfan Khan Nailed an Impossible Role
From Our Partners:
’Texas Chainsaw’: Top 5 Leatherface Kills (Moviefone)
Quentin Tarantino’s Most Bad-Ass Music Moments (Moviefone)

The film, which tells the story of an elderly couple struggling to cope after one of them suffers a stroke, won Best Picture, Best Director for Michael Haneke and Best Actress for 85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva.
Oscar front-runner Daniel Day-Lewis took home Best Actor at the annual prizegiving in New York for his portrayal of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln, while the film's writer, Tony Kushner, won Best Screenplay.
The Best Supporting Actress award went to Amy Adams for her performance in The Master, while Matthew McConaughey earned the Best Supporting Actor award for Magic Mike.
The list of main winners is as follows:
Best Picture: Amour
Best Director: Michael Haneke (Amour)
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
Best Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike)
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams (The Master)
Best Screenplay: Tony Kushner (Lincoln)
Best Nonfiction Film: The Gatekeepers
Best Cinematography: Mihai Malaimare, Jr. (The Master)

It seems once the voters in the National Society of Film Critics were able to dry their eyes after watching Michael Haneke's gut-wrenching tearjerker Amour, they could see a clear winner. The French drama about an elderly couple (played masterfully by Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant) coping with end-of-life struggles, was named Best Picture. Additionally, both Haneke and Riva earned accolades for Best Director and Best Actress, respectively. The foreign-language film has continued to both win over and depress critics and moviegoers alike since winning the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
In other categories, Oscar frontrunner Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor by the National Society of Film Critics for his performance in Lincoln (the film's scribe Tony Kushner won for Best Screenplay), Matthew McConaughey was named Best Supporting Actor for his work in both Magic Mike and Bernie, and Amy Adams earned Best Supporting Actress for her powerhouse turn in The Master. (That film was also heralded with Best Cinematography.)
The National Society of Film Critics, which is composed of 60 of the nation's top critics, held their 47th annual awards meeting on Saturday, January 5 at Elinor Bunim Munroe Center at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. Here is the complete list of winners, complete with the voting number results:
Best Picture1. Amour – 282. The Master – 253. Zero Dark Thirty – 18 Best Actor 1. Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln – 59 2. Denis Lavant – Holy Motors – 493. Joaquin Phoenix – The Master – 49 Best Actress1. Emmanuelle Riva – Amour – 50 2. Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook –423. Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty – 32 Best Supporting Actor1. Matthew McConaughey – Magic Mike, Bernie – 272. Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln – 223. Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master– 19 Best Supporting Actress1. Amy Adams – The Master – 342. Sally Field – Lincoln – 233. Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables – 13 Best Director1. Michael Haneke – Amour – 272. Kathryn Bigelow – Zero Dark Thirty – 242. Paul Thomas Anderson – The Master – 24 Best Screenplay1. Lincoln – Tony Kushner – 592. The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson – 273. Silver Linings Playbook – David O. Russell – 19 Best Cinematography 1. The Master – 602. Skyfall – 303. Zero Dark Thirty – 21 Best Nonfiction1. The Gatekeepers - 532. This Is Not a Film – 453. Searching for Sugar Man - 23 Experimental: This Is Not a Film
[Photo credit: Sony Pictures]
More:
'Amour' Is a Touching Punch to the Gut for Viewers Young and Old
'Zero Dark Thirty', 'Lincoln', 'Argo', 'Looper' Among WGA Award Nominees
'Skyfall,' 'Lincoln,' 'Silver Linings Playbook' Among 2013 Producers Guild Award NomineesFrom Our Partners: ’Buckwild’ Stars Talk ‘Jersey Shore’ Comparisons: ‘I Ain’t Paying For No Tan’ (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013: Best Picture Race Is Down to ‘Lincoln’ Versus ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (Moviefone)

The movie has won the Canadian organisation's trophies for best film and best screenplay, while Paul Thomas Anderson was named best director and Philip Seymour Hoffman was hailed as best supporting actor.
The Master saw off competition from French drama Amour, which was named the year's top foreign-language film. Michael Haneke's Amour previously beat The Master to the top prize bestowed by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Denis Lavant won best actor for his role in Holy Motors and Rachel Weisz took best actress for her performance in The Deep Blue Sea, while Gina Gershon was voted best supporting actress for her turn in Killer Joe, and ParaNorman was named 2012's best animated feature.
The prizes will be handed out at a gala in Toronto on 8 January (13).

Began working as a writer and producer for Südwestfunk, Bavaria's equivalent of BBC

Helmed first TV movie "After Liverpool" (Südwestfunk); also co-wrote

Made film directorial and writing debut with "The Seventh Continent"; film was first in trilogy

Finished trilogy with grisly drama "71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance"

Wrote and directed "Amour," about an octogenarian couple played by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva

With family, moved from Germany to Austria after WWII

Helmed controversial thriller "Funny Games," about a family sadistically tortured by two young men; also wrote screenplay

Directed Isabelle Huppert in erotic drama "The Piano Teacher"; received Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film

Summary

Despite his bleak and often masochistic view of humanity, Austrian-born filmmaker Michael Haneke has nonetheless established himself as one of Europe's most important, albeit controversial directors. Ever since his emergence with "The Seventh Continent" (1989), a deeply disturbing look at soul-crushing domesticity, Haneke established himself as a director unafraid to explore the darkest recesses of human nature. But it was "Funny Games" (1997), a shocking examination of society's complicity in media violence, that brought Haneke to the fore, earning him both praise and scorn for his often overindulgent depictions of brutality. He earned several awards and nominations for "The Piano Teacher" (2002), perhaps one of the most detailed studies of sexual deviancy ever filmed, which propelled Haneke onto the international stage. With his shot-for-shot remake of "Funny Games" (2008) for English-speaking audiences, and the back-to-back Palme d'Or winners "The White Ribbon" (2009) and "Amour" (2012), Haneke introduced himself to a wider array of fans and detractors who were in mutual agreement that he was the crown prince of cinematic darkness.